“It works like magic … and boy, have we patented it” The government paperwork behind the iPhone

It’s been a whole decade since Apple first unleashed the iPhone upon the world, drastically altering the way people around the planet spend their time. As Steve Jobs excitedly explained to a crowd at MacWorld over 10 years ago, the device collapsed a music player, a phone, and an internet browser into one sleek package controlled by - gasp - a multi-touch user interface.

“Nobody wants a stylus … We’re gonna touch this with our fingers. And we have invented a new technology called multi-touch, which is phenomenal. It works like magic … and boy, have we patented it.”

It can take years for an idea to go from an application to an accepted published patent and last a specific period of time before they may be renewed or left to expire, allowing further development on leaps made by private entrepreneurs.

Have a few favorite patents from Apple or others? Take a dive into the USPTO database of materials via the button below, and let us know what you find! .